help me finish my graduate degree at Duke

My name is Vit, and I am an international student from Brazil. My education has always been something that I work hard for. I graduated from UWC Costa Rica in 2015, and attended the College of the Atlantic in Maine on a full scholarship as a Davis Scholar. After graduating college, I moved to Washington, DC for my OPT year where I worked as a curatorial assistant at the Smithsonian.

I was elated when I was accepted for my dream MFA program at Duke University even though I knew it would require a lot of hard work for me to be able to afford it. I have worked as a TA every semester, as well as a gallery manager and research assistant while studying full-time. I have been able to keep perfect grades and secure a grant to partially fund my thesis film.

At the beginning of this academic year, I was offered an assistantship position that included a large scholarship and a stipend that would allow me to fully cover the remainder of my tuition. After much push and pull, I received the scholarship but was told the institution was no longer willing to pay me the stipend included in the agreement. I have been fighting for this scholarship and stipend for the past six months, even going so far as to quit my job as a gallery manager to make time for this suddenly unpaid job. At this point, I am a little over a month away from defending my thesis and a couple of months away from graduating. The university will not let me complete my degree without full payment of my balance, and while I have done everything I possibly can, there is nothing I can do about an employer that refuses to pay me in a timeframe that allows me to graduate on time.

My current balance is $16,000. Through what I make as a TA I am able to pay $4000, which leaves $12,000 for me to figure out. Any donations would mean the world to me and help me get to the finish line after so much hard work.

The day this campaign goes live is my 26th birthday, and finishing this degree is the biggest gift I could hope for. Thank you for reading, sharing and donating <3